Photo: gov.kz
China will build Kazakhstan’s third nuclear power plant, just as it is expected to construct the second. This was announced by First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar during a government briefing, Kursiv.kz reports.
“Our colleagues at the Atomic Energy Agency and the Electric Nuclear Stations LLP are currently evaluating possible locations. A stable water source is essential near the plant,” Sklyar stated.
As previously reported, Russia’s Rosatom is expected to build Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant in the village of Ulken, Zhambyl District, Almaty Region. Later this year, government agencies will officially announce the sites for the second and third plants.
The China National Nuclear Corporation is likely to lead the consortium for the second plant. Experts have suggested the city of Kurchatov in East Kazakhstan Region as a possible location.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized the need for three nuclear power plants during a kurultai in Burabay earlier this spring. He stated that it is of strategic importance for Kazakhstan to establish a new energy sector that will provide the foundation for development over the coming decades. Two plants will not be enough, he said; a third will be needed to ultimately form a full-scale nuclear energy cluster.
